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Int'l Business Times
2 days ago
- Politics
- Int'l Business Times
Four Days Left To Square The Circle On Global Plastic Pollution Treaty
Countries remained at loggerheads Monday over how to tackle plastic pollution, with only four days left to craft a landmark global treaty on reining in the ever-growing scourge. While plastic has transformed modern life, plastic pollution poses an increasing threat to the environment and the human body -- and every day the garbage accumulates on land and in the oceans. The 184 countries meeting at the United Nations to sculpt a first international accord setting out the way forward return to the negotiating table after a day off Sunday to reflect on their differences. The first week of talks in Geneva fell behind schedule and failed to produce a clear text, with states still deeply divided at square one: the purpose and scope of the treaty they started negotiating two and a half years ago. Last week, working groups met on technical topics ranging from the design of plastic to waste management, production, financing for recycling, plastic reuse, and funding waste collection in developing countries. They also discussed molecules and chemical additives that pose environmental and health risks. A nebulous cluster of mostly oil-producing states calling themselves the Like-Minded Group -- including Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Russia, Iran, and Malaysia -- want the treaty to focus primarily on waste management. The United States and India are also close to this club. At the other end of the spectrum, a growing faction calling themselves the "ambitious" group want radical action written into the treaty, including measures to curb the damage caused by plastic garbage, such as phasing out the most dangerous chemicals. Plastic pollution is so ubiquitous that microplastics have been found on the highest mountain peaks, in the deepest ocean trench and scattered throughout almost every part of the human body. The ambitious group wants a clause reining in plastic production, which is set to triple by 2060. The club brings together the European Union, many African and Latin American countries, Australia, Britain, Switzerland and Canada. It also includes island micro-nations drowning in plastic trash they did little to produce and have little capacity to deal with. Palau, speaking for 39 small island developing states (SIDS), said the treaty had to deal with removing the plastic garbage "already choking our oceans". "SIDS will not stand by while our future is bartered away in a stalemate," and "this brinkmanship has a real price: a dying ocean," the Micronesian archipelago said. The treaty is set to be settled by universal consensus; but with countries far apart, the lowest-ambition countries are quite comfortable not budging, observers said. "We risk having a meaningless treaty without any binding global rules like bans and phase-outs. This is unacceptable," Eirik Lindebjerg, global plastics adviser for the World Wide Fund for Nature, told AFP. "Expecting any meaningful outcome to this process through consensus is a delusion. With the time remaining, the ambitious governments must come together as a majority to finalise the treaty text and prepare to agree it through a vote." Without touching on whether ambitious countries would ultimately abandon consensus and go for a vote, the EU's environment commissioner Jessika Roswall, due in Geneva on Monday, urged countries to speed up negotiations and not "miss this historic opportunity". The draft treaty has ballooned from 22 to 35 pages -- with the number of brackets in the text going up near five-fold to almost 1,500 as countries insert a blizzard of conflicting wishes and ideas. In total, 70 ministers and around 30 senior government officials are expected in Geneva from Tuesday onwards and could perhaps help break the deadlock. Women sorting through plastic waste in Pekanbaru, Indonesia AFP Countries are trying to negotiate a groundbreaking international treaty on combating plastic pollution AFP Global plastics production could almost triple between 2019 and 2060 AFP Workers pack food containers made with virgin plastics at a factory on the outskirts of Kolkata, India AFP
Observer
3 days ago
- Politics
- Observer
UN plastic pollution treaty talks floundering
GENEVA: Talks on forging a groundbreaking treaty to combat the scourge of plastic pollution were floundering on Saturday, with progress slow and countries wildly at odds on what the proposed agreement should cover. The negotiations, which opened last Tuesday, have four working days left to strike a legally-binding instrument that would tackle the growing problem choking the environment. But in a blunt mid-way assessment, the talks chair warned the 184 countries gathered at the United Nations in Geneva that progress so far was well off track. Some countries called for areas where countries are far from agreement to be ditched completely for the sake of expediency. Others slammed the brinkmanship and said insistence on consensus could not be used as justification for sinking the more ambitious elements of the treaty. "Progress made has not been sufficient", Ecuadoran diplomat Luis Vayas Valdivieso told delegates in a frank summary as country delegations gathered in the assembly hall to take stock. "We have arrived at a critical stage where a real push to achieve our common goal is needed. "August 14 is not just a deadline for our work: it is a date by which we must deliver". Countries have reconvened at the UN in Geneva after the failure of the supposedly fifth and final round of talks in Busan, South Korea in 2024. After four days of talks, the draft text has ballooned from 22 to 35 pages — with the number of brackets in the text going up near five-fold to almost 1,500 as countries insert conflicting ideas. Vayas Valdivieso said states had had two and a half years to make such proposals. "Some articles still have unresolved issues and show little progress towards reaching a common understanding", he lamented. Kuwait spoke up for the so-called Like-Minded Group — a nebulous cluster of mostly oil-producing nations which rejects production limits and wants to focus on treating waste. Kuwait said the scope of the treaty had not been given "an equal and fair chance for discussion". "Let us agree on what we can agree... consensus must be the basis of all our decisions". But Uruguay insisted that doggedly clinging to consensus "cannot be used as a justification to not achieve our objectives". The talks process is mandated to look at the full life cycle of plastic, from production to pollution. Eirik Lindebjerg, global plastics adviser for the World Wide Fund for Nature, said that Kuwait's proposal was "another attempt to make it a waste management agreement" and to stifle talks reducing the amount of plastic and phasing out the most harmful elements. Saudi Arabia, speaking for the Arab Group, said the responsible way ahead was to start considering what bits of the text "may not make it to the final outcome due to irreconcilable divergence". "We cannot do everything everywhere all at once", Riyadh said, adding: "Let's not make the perfect the enemy of the good". Panama's negotiator Juan Monterrey Gomez slammed those countries wanting to stop the treaty from encompassing the entire life cycle of plastic. He said microplastics "are in our blood, in our lungs and in the first cry of a new-born child. Our bodies are living proof of a system that profits from poisoning us". He said it was a lie that "recycling alone will save us... we cannot recycle our way out of this crisis... when the poison is inside us". Plastic pollution is so ubiquitous that microplastics have been found on the highest mountain peaks, in the deepest ocean trench and scattered throughout almost every part of the human body. — AFP
Korea Herald
3 days ago
- Politics
- Korea Herald
Momentum sagging at UN plastic pollution treaty talks
GENEVA (AFP) -- Talks on forging a landmark treaty to combat the scourge of plastic pollution were stumbling Saturday, with progress slow and countries wildly at odds on how far the proposed agreement should go. The negotiations, which opened on Tuesday, have four working days left to strike a legally-binding instrument that would tackle the growing problem choking the environment. In a blunt mid-way assessment, talks chair Luis Vayas Valdivieso warned the 184 countries negotiating at the UN that they had to get shifting to get a deal. "Progress made has not been sufficient," Vayas told delegates. "A real push to achieve our common goal is needed," the Ecuadoran diplomat said, adding that Thursday was not a just deadline but "a date by which we must deliver. "Some articles still have unresolved issues and show little progress towards reaching a common understanding," Vayas lamented. The key fracture is between countries that want to focus on waste management and others who want a more ambitious treaty that also cuts production and eliminates use of the most toxic chemicals. And with the talks relying on finding consensus, it has become a game of brinkmanship. A diplomatic source told reporters that many informal meetings had been scrambled together for Sunday's day off to try and break the deadlock. "If nothing changes, we won't get there," the source added. Countries have reconvened in Geneva after the failure of the supposedly fifth and final round of negotiations in Busan in 2024. After four days of talks, the draft text has ballooned from 22 to 35 pages -- with the number of brackets in the text going up near five-fold to almost 1,500 as countries insert a blizzard of conflicting wishes and ideas. The talks are mandated to look at the full life cycle of plastic, from production to pollution, but some countries are unhappy with such a wide scope. Kuwait spoke up for the so-called Like-Minded Group -- a nebulous cluster of mostly oil-producing nations which rejects production limits and wants to focus on treating waste. "Let us agree on what we can agree. Consensus must be the basis of all our decisions," Kuwait insisted. Nudging in the same direction, Saudi Arabia, speaking for the Arab Group, said the responsible way ahead was to start considering what bits of the text "may not make it to the final outcome due to irreconcilable divergence." But given how little is truly agreed on, Uruguay warned that consensus "cannot be used as a justification to not achieve our objectives." Eirik Lindebjerg, global plastics adviser for the World Wide Fund for Nature, told Agence France-Presse that the Like-Minded Group's proposal was "another attempt to make it a waste management agreement," and to stifle talks on reducing the amount of plastic in circulation. The UN Environment Program is hosting the talks and swiftly called a press conference after the stock-take session. UNEP executive director Inger Andersen said a deal was "really within our grasp, even though today it might not look so." "Despite the fog of negotiations I'm really encouraged," she told reporters, insisting, "There is a pathway to success." Vayas added, "We need to accelerate. We need a better rhythm in this and we need to also work in such a way that it will be clear that we will deliver by the end." Afterward, Bjorn Beeler, executive director at IPEN, a global network aimed at limiting toxic chemicals, told AFP, "This whole process has not been able to take decisions and is still collecting ideas. We're sleepwalking towards a cliff and if we don't wake up, we're falling off." Plastic pollution is so ubiquitous that microplastics have been found on the highest mountain peaks, in the deepest ocean trench and scattered throughout almost every part of the human body. More than 400 million tonnes of plastic are produced globally each year, half of which is for single-use items. Plastic production is set to triple by 2060. Panama's negotiator Juan Monterrey Gomez took the floor to slam those countries wanting to stop the treaty from encompassing the entire life cycle of plastic. He said microplastics "are in our blood, in our lungs and in the first cry of a new-born child. Our bodies are living proof of a system that profits from poisoning us." "We cannot recycle our way out of this crisis."
Express Tribune
3 days ago
- Politics
- Express Tribune
Momentum sagging at UN plastic pollution treaty talks
Talks on forging a landmark treaty to combat the scourge of plastic pollution were stumbling Saturday, with progress slow and countries wildly at odds on how far the proposed agreement should go. The negotiations, which opened on Tuesday, have four working days left to strike a legally-binding instrument that would tackle the growing problem choking the environment. In a blunt mid-way assessment, talks chair Luis Vayas Valdivieso warned the 184 countries negotiating at the United Nations that they had to get shifting to get a deal. "Progress made has not been sufficient," Vayas told delegates. "A real push to achieve our common goal is needed," the Ecuadoran diplomat said, adding that Thursday was not a just deadline but "a date by which we must deliver. "Some articles still have unresolved issues and show little progress towards reaching a common understanding," Vayas lamented. The key fracture is between countries that want to focus on waste management and others who want a more ambitious treaty that also cuts production and eliminates use of the most toxic chemicals. And with the talks relying on finding consensus, it has become a game of brinkmanship. A diplomatic source told reporters that many informal meetings had been scrambled together for Sunday's day off to try and break the deadlock. "If nothing changes, we won't get there," the source added. Countries have reconvened in Geneva after the failure of the supposedly fifth and final round of negotiations in Busan, South Korea in 2024. After four days of talks, the draft text has ballooned from 22 to 35 pages — with the number of brackets in the text going up near five-fold to almost 1,500 as countries insert a blizzard of conflicting wishes and ideas. The talks are mandated to look at the full life cycle of plastic, from production to pollution, but some countries are unhappy with such a wide scope. Kuwait spoke up for the so-called Like-Minded Group — a nebulous cluster of mostly oil-producing nations which rejects production limits and wants to focus on treating waste. "Let us agree on what we can agree. Consensus must be the basis of all our decisions," Kuwait insisted. Nudging in the same direction, Saudi Arabia, speaking for the Arab Group, said the responsible way ahead was to start considering what bits of the text "may not make it to the final outcome due to irreconcilable divergence". But given how little is truly agreed on, Uruguay warned that consensus "cannot be used as a justification to not achieve our objectives". Eirik Lindebjerg, global plastics adviser for the World Wide Fund for Nature, told AFP that the Like-Minded Group's proposal was "another attempt to make it a waste management agreement", and to stifle talks on reducing the amount of plastic in circulation. The UN Environment Programme is hosting the talks and swiftly called a press conference after the stock-take session. UNEP executive director Inger Andersen said a deal was "really within our grasp, even though today it might not look so". "Despite the fog of negotiations I'm really encouraged," she told reporters, insisting: "There is a pathway to success." Vayas added: "We need to accelerate. We need a better rhythm in this and we need to also work in such a way that it will be clear that we will deliver by the end." Afterwards, Bjorn Beeler, executive director at IPEN, a global network aimed at limiting toxic chemicals, told AFP: "This whole process has not been able to take decisions and is still collecting ideas. We're sleepwalking towards a cliff and if we don't wake up, we're falling off." Plastic pollution is so ubiquitous that microplastics have been found on the highest mountain peaks, in the deepest ocean trench and scattered throughout almost every part of the human body. More than 400 million tonnes of plastic are produced globally each year, half of which is for single-use items. Plastic production is set to triple by 2060. Panama's negotiator Juan Monterrey Gomez took the floor to slam those countries wanting to stop the treaty from encompassing the entire life cycle of plastic. He said microplastics "are in our blood, in our lungs and in the first cry of a new-born child. Our bodies are living proof of a system that profits from poisoning us". "We cannot recycle our way out of this crisis."
Time of India
3 days ago
- Politics
- Time of India
Momentum sagging at UN plastic pollution treaty talks
Representative image GENEVA: Talks on forging a landmark treaty to combat the scourge of plastic pollution were stumbling Saturday, with progress slow and countries wildly at odds on how far the proposed agreement should go. The negotiations, which opened on Tuesday, have four working days left to strike a legally-binding instrument that would tackle the growing problem choking the environment. In a blunt mid-way assessment, talks chair Luis Vayas Valdivieso warned the 184 countries negotiating at the United Nations that they had to get shifting to get a deal. "Progress made has not been sufficient," Vayas told delegates. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like This year's most comfortable shoes are a hit with the over-40 crowd Ultra-Comfortable Shoes Undo "A real push to achieve our common goal is needed," the Ecuadoran diplomat said, adding that Thursday was not a just deadline but "a date by which we must deliver. "Some articles still have unresolved issues and show little progress towards reaching a common understanding," Vayas lamented. The key fracture is between countries that want to focus on waste management and others who want a more ambitious treaty that also cuts production and eliminates use of the most toxic chemicals. And with the talks relying on finding consensus, it has become a game of brinkmanship. A diplomatic source told reporters that many informal meetings had been scrambled together for Sunday's day off to try and break the deadlock. "If nothing changes, we won't get there," the source added. Battle of the brackets Countries have reconvened in Geneva after the failure of the supposedly fifth and final round of negotiations in Busan, South Korea in 2024. After four days of talks, the draft text has ballooned from 22 to 35 pages -- with the number of brackets in the text going up near five-fold to almost 1,500 as countries insert a blizzard of conflicting wishes and ideas. The talks are mandated to look at the full life cycle of plastic , from production to pollution, but some countries are unhappy with such a wide scope. Kuwait spoke up for the so-called Like-Minded Group -- a nebulous cluster of mostly oil-producing nations which rejects production limits and wants to focus on treating waste. "Let us agree on what we can agree. Consensus must be the basis of all our decisions," Kuwait insisted. Nudging in the same direction, Saudi Arabia, speaking for the Arab Group, said the responsible way ahead was to start considering what bits of the text "may not make it to the final outcome due to irreconcilable divergence". But given how little is truly agreed on, Uruguay warned that consensus "cannot be used as a justification to not achieve our objectives". Eirik Lindebjerg, global plastics adviser for the World Wide Fund for Nature, told AFP that the Like-Minded Group's proposal was "another attempt to make it a waste management agreement ", and to stifle talks on reducing the amount of plastic in circulation. Path through the fog The UN Environment Programme is hosting the talks and swiftly called a press conference after the stock-take session. UNEP executive director Inger Andersen said a deal was "really within our grasp, even though today it might not look so". "Despite the fog of negotiations I'm really encouraged," she told reporters, insisting: "There is a pathway to success." Vayas added: "We need to accelerate. We need a better rhythm in this and we need to also work in such a way that it will be clear that we will deliver by the end." Afterwards, Bjorn Beeler, executive director at IPEN, a global network aimed at limiting toxic chemicals, told AFP: "This whole process has not been able to take decisions and is still collecting ideas. We're sleepwalking towards a cliff and if we don't wake up, we're falling off." 'Profits from poisoning' Plastic pollution is so ubiquitous that microplastics have been found on the highest mountain peaks, in the deepest ocean trench and scattered throughout almost every part of the human body. More than 400 million tonnes of plastic are produced globally each year, half of which is for single-use items. Plastic production is set to triple by 2060. Panama's negotiator Juan Monterrey Gomez took the floor to slam those countries wanting to stop the treaty from encompassing the entire life cycle of plastic. He said microplastics "are in our blood, in our lungs and in the first cry of a new-born child. Our bodies are living proof of a system that profits from poisoning us". "We cannot recycle our way out of this crisis."
